A Single Pup
by acousticver
Summary: It's been years since Yuki has moved out of the house, and even more surprisingly, has had a son. But being raised a cityboy, how's he supposed to cope with the farmlife Yuki and Ame grew up with when his mother unexpectedly leaves him with his grandmother?
1. Chapter 1

The ice falls around him ever so lightly as the sound of spring trickles in the far off distance, a like brook that will soon turn to a river when the time is right. The sleeping animals make it so that the forest is without movement and the only signs of life are the occasional bear tracks that quickly disappear.

Somewhere on the march up the mountain he had ditched his clothes, the only thing on him being the dark blue scarf that had belonged to his uncle, or so he'd been told. The 14 year old couldn't remember much on how he'd gotten up to the snow-peaked top, or even why. The only thing he blamed were these damned instincts he didn't want, the ones that drew him out to the wilderness especially when spring was coming. It was why he had much preferred the city to the country; at least in the city he could repress his instincts enough to stop them from coming out.

But mom made it clear that she wanted him to spend time with his grandmother last summer. _Last summer_. They practically left him here in the old woman's dying house in the small town where his parents were raised, and he was treated as the transfer student from the big city that couldn't last a week in a place where you had to farm on unforgiving land to keep yourself alive. The kid had already lost count on how many times they would mock him for going to the convenience store all the time or anything else the town had to offer for "convenience", as if it were true.

He'd also lost count on how many times he'd hiked, ran, clawed or otherwise his way to the top of this stupid rock in whatever season it was. Summer was just as unforgiving as the winter was and the pollen in spring made it insufferable while the dead leaves on the ground during autumn made the slopes all the more slippery. And if he searched long enough, there were traces of a wild beast that he'd never seen before living up here. He thought he remembered seeing it once when he was little, maybe 3. But it had scared the crap outta him then, so all the memory was is a long jaw with sharp teeth and eyes so bright they were almost red.

The snow piled around him as he lay in his "Halfway", two Shepard-like dog ears perched on his cherry-wood colored hair with a dark nose to tip off his own. Large paws that once belonged to his grandfather now rested on his in a beige tanned fur with his legs sprawled out in an unorganized manner, a fox-thick tail that aligned with the dark red pattern running down his back lay on the snow rather than sinking into it. He was told by Hana, his grandmother, that he would've looked exactly like his mother if she had chosen to be a wolf.

But she chose to live with the only boy that she'd shared her biggest secret with, and raise their small child when the time came. He was only registered as a citizen after he was old enough to control when he would shapeshift, and with the good memory that always seemed to serve him well, the child protective services got really mad at her for that (supposedly neglecting her child by not giving him checkups and so forth). And with the fear that he would've been born the species that his mother was, he was born in that old house of Hana's, the older woman serving as a midwife for her daughter.

He slowly roused from the awkward position that he had managed to fall asleep in and shook off the snow like a dog, tucking away his ears and nose and turning his way into the fleshy person he wished to be. Only his dad and his grandmother were _normal_. They didn't have to worry about people seeing what they were; they didn't have to worry about the animals at the zoo glaring at you and trying to attack or growl; they didn't have to deal with a little kid and their heightened sixth sense.

With the way the air had left a chill lingering even heavier than usual, he could tell that the sun was beginning to set, even through the thickened grey clouds. If he didn't hurry down the mountain now, there would be a good chance that he'd freeze to death or be forced to spend the night with the oh-so-sensitive bears. He tightened the scarf around his neck and began marching downward, his feet imprinting the same places they had been for months. Chances were if he followed the same trail, his forgotten clothes would be somewhere along the pathway.

And sure enough, when he had reached the bottom, an old woman with whitened hair and a slightly hunched back was waiting patiently for the budding teenager (who was now fully clothed). It was painfully dark all around them, but even so, he could still see Hana's brightened smile. He sighed something bashful for making the old woman wait, knowing that if any of the other adults in town knew about this that he'd get an earful. He would gently grasp her hand as though he were 3 again, except this time he'd be the one to lead her through the dark as though he knew the way around better than she did.

Her hands were the kind of soft that only came with the years of hard work and wearing down, the kind that left a leathery feel rather than a spongy one. It made him think of how long she had been left on this mountain alone after her daughter left to spend time in dormitories after she turned 13. The only thing that she had left of her family was the driver's license her late husband left her and the two dolls that looked like dogs she stitched for her children when they were born. The three items had been left aligned neatly on a small bookshelf and kept there with great care, the dark doll placed closer to her husband's driver's license than the brighter one.

Hana and her daughter had told him that that doll belonged to Ame, his uncle, when Ame was little. But since he'd never seen the man, he was always skeptical on whether he had ever existed or not. By now he'd probably be about 35, but he wouldn't know.

"Have any of the animals come out of hibernation yet?"

He nearly dropped the kabob that he held to his mouth. It was rare for Hana to try and start a conversation with him, not because she didn't like him. But when you've been forced on a relative you haven't seen for over 8 years and just left outside your element, it kinda leaves no room for a conversation unless it's really awkward. "… The bears are starting to wake up… And another predator is somewhere up on the high points…"

Her wrinkly face turned into a sagging smile as though she knew something he didn't. These kind of conversations with her bothered him, but always seemed to give the 56 year old woman boosts of energy. If he thought too deeply into it, all sorts of things would happen like when he was little. He used to think that his uncle was living on the mountains as a graceful beast that no mortal could touch, painting an image of something almost godly for the mythical man. So when he was 4, he would go up on the lower edges of the mountains to see if he could catch sight of the last wolf in Japan. But the whole memory is kind of fuzzy, and the only thing he can recall from it was meeting a monster that almost swallowed him whole. And even then he just brushed it off as a nightmare, knowing that he woke up in his grandmother's bedroom while mom and grandma laughed about nothing he cared to know.

* * *

Spring showers pounded against the window as students socialized, only half paying attention to the algebraic equation that the teacher was demanding an answer for. It did him better to keep quiet about the answer that was so obvious rather than answering. People would've considered him mental and weak, as if being the city outcast weren't enough. The last of the snow had finally melted and the warm weather was slowly rising all around the mountain side, the new school year already in a full swing.

"Fuji! Hey, that is your name, right Fuji? Fuji~" He could feel a growl emanating from somewhere, the annoyance of another student coming on to him hard. _If only Mamimi or Shouta were here…_ "FUJI-!"

"WHAT."

The boy sitting in front of him looked slightly taken back at the harsh response. "You don't have to be so mean about it. See? I told you city people were cold." Two on-looking girls stared at the red head hard as he wished that they would just drop it already. It had already been 9 months since he had officially moved here, you'd think there would be someone who wasn't so judgmental to someone from the outside. He wondered why he even tried.

The class bell chimed loudly releasing students for lunch, and at the sound of the familiar bells, he practically bolted out of the room. Down in the courtyard was the closest thing he had to the hypnotizing forest, a tall maple tree that had planted itself center school with concrete blocks surrounding in a good 3 feet off the ground. The sky had just barely cleared up enough to leave it in a drizzling state, the whole school drenched in puddles. Warm weather had shrouded itself in the heavy dew drops hanging in the air, leaving it painfully easy for him to fall asleep in a place where none of the other students wanted to be in the rain.

The earthy smell surrounding the only plant life reminded him of the forest on the foot of the mountain and how the rabbits had already come out of hiding. He'd been out for the past few weeks constantly trying to capture the fast prey, only to come near and then have the floppy eared creature slip through his jaws. Just dreaming about capturing a rabbit seemed to soothe his soul.

A piercing sound snapped his eyes open. Something was echoing down the mountain, a deep husky sound of a canine throat that shouldn't have existed, not here at least. All the hairs on the back of his neck were standing straight up as though it were a challenge, his mind slowly losing its concentration as the sound of _another_ was coming from somewhere he couldn't see. This only happened one other time, when his mother had let out the bone chilling howl. In that instant, he had felt himself swap sides without a conscience of doing it. And he could feel it happening again.

* * *

Authors note*

i must apologize if I've overstepped boundaries or rules; please tell me if i've done something wrong! A


	2. Chapter 2

His ears pulled back as a shrill scream pierced the sound barrier. When he turned around, a girl in his homeroom was standing in the doorway that led into the building, staring at him with wide eyes. A few more students came rushing to her aid, only to stand in the same stunned positions with mouths agape. The howling had long stopped, leaving him to wonder how long he'd been in the trance. He was only left to guess what he looked like to them, knowing that he was somewhere "Midway".

His mind had been moving a million thoughts per second in an impossible attempt to figure out how to get out of the situation; go Full-Fledged and make a run for it? Maybe if he pulled himself into the pure Midway he'd be able to knock out everyone here and avoid everyone after he got suspended. Maybe taking a hostage would help-

"_There_ you are! I have been looking _everywhere_ for you! That mask Misaki put on you is _real_ convincing, isn't it?" A girl almost half his size had taken a firm grip on his arm in an attempt to usher him away as he stood, tail between his legs. Her green eyes were telling him that he should listen to every word she was spouting, nonsense and all. She leaned in close to the ear perched on his head and whispered, "Don't say a word. They can _smell the fear_."

As if on cue the other students who had been watching from afar suddenly poured out of the building, all except the brunet who had first screamed.

"Wow, is it really a mask?"

"It's totally a mask. You can see the stitching!"

"It looks so lifelike…"

"No more! Go away, all of you! Stop harassing our lead, will you?" She had tried pushing him in another direction to a different entrance into the school building.

"Lead?"

"Are you guys in a club or something?"

"I wanna see!"

"Yes, yes!" She kicked him in the direction of the other entrance. "The drama club is fully open to any participants, experience or not! We meet on the far end of the B wing right next to the library on Thursday afternoons, so come join!" She pulled the door shut behind them, practically beating the other students off the door before she pulled his ginormous paw nearly 3 times her hand size through the corridor. It wasn't until they reached the staircase that she turned around and looked him square in the eye as though she were mad at him. And it wasn't until then that he realized that he had been running through the halls in the most foreign form.

Upon instinct the fur began to recede and his nose shrunk back, ears falling in the same place as they were when he was born. Her eyebrows rose as she recognized who was standing in front of her. "City boy-"

"I didn't- you didn't-" he stuttered, searching desperately for the right words to say. "If you tell anyone, _anyone_, I'll, I'll…"

"You'll what? _Eat me_?"

"Yeah! Yes! Maybe-!" He could feel his face turning hot as he dug his grave deeper.

"You know, you're great advertisement. Because of you I probably got, like, 5 or 6 more kids to go and join the drama club. So what _are_ you?" His heart rate quickened. He knew this question was coming. How would he break it to mom? Would they have to scrap up enough money to move overseas? What about grandma? Will they pillage her home all because of a stupid mistake _he_ made? Will other towns think this one is cursed and the whole community be forced to live in poverty? What if- "Hellooooo?" His Adam's apple bobbed.

His voice suddenly went quiet. "… I'm not supposed to tell you…"

"Well _that's_ no fun. So then what's your name? Everyone around here has been so used to calling you City Boy that even I caught it."

"Why should I tell you? Can't you just let it go and we'll call it a day? You and I won't ever have to talk again. Doesn't that sound nice?"

"Not in the least. You've already piqued my interest, and if you don't tell me I'll tell everyone I was lying and the City Child will become the Wolf Child." She smiled something devious at him. Logic told him it was an invalid threat; who would believe her, anyway? But it was just the way a female managed to lock on you, much like this situation that it's almost like you absolutely have to go off and bend to their every command.

"Haruki…" He tucked his head into his collar and began playing with his untrimmed bangs. "Fuji Haruki…"

* * *

Bare feet could be heard echoing throughout the house, a bag thrown on the wooden flooring in frustration. With a glass in one hand and a rag in the other, Hana came out to the entrance of her home to greet her grandson, only to stop midsentence at the sight of a young girl following behind him.

She smiled something polite to the young girl. "Haru, I didn't know you were bringing home your girlfriend today~!"

He immediately looked up to his grandmother with horror in his eyes. "**SHE'S NOT MY GIRLFRIEND**!" Hana just laughed as she toyed with the boy, inviting both of them into her home.

"It's a pleasure to meet you. My name is Hana. I'm sure Haru has been a handful at school, so I appreciate you looking after him."

"O-oh, it's no problem, ma'am." **_Now_**_ she's bashful. _"I'm Takaharu Nagisa. It's a pleasure to meet you!" She bowed something embarrassing to the older woman's delight, Haruki glaring at her all the way. When Hana finally left the two 14 year olds alone, Nagisa immediately turned her attention to the taller boy. "Is she-"

"**No**. Grandma is lucky enough to be _normal_." He peeled off his shoes and started heading through the hallways, leaving her to catch up. After a few meters into the house, he snapped his head back. "Why are you even following me?!"

She stared at him with her large hazel eyes as if she were oblivious to what he was saying. "I wanted to see what Wolf Boy's house looks like. I don't live anywhere near here, we live closer to the city. It's nice out here." Her answer lead to another hundred questions popping up in his head. But he decided to drop it and just leave her to whatever it was that she wanted to do. She wasn't his responsibility, after all.

"So where's your mom and dad?" He shot daggers at her from the tatami mat.

"Honeymooning, I think. They left me here last summer so I can get out of our 'cluttered little house'. Dad had to literally pick me up and drag me out of the house to get me to come."

"Last summer?!" He went quiet. She looked around the oversized living room, much too big for just one old woman and her grandson to be living in alone. The little bookshelf in the corner was the only thing to catch her eye, the driver's license with offerings near it in the center of the top shelf drawing her attention more than the dolls on the side. "Who's that?"

"My grandpa."

"Was he…. A wolf too?"

"It's where my mom and her 'brother' get it from."

"What's with the air quotes?"

"I haven't met him. Supposedly he looks exactly like grandpa did. And every time mom and grandma talk about him they laugh, like it's all a big joke. I can't stand it." He turned onto his stomach and reached for his bag, pulling out a small leather backed book and a pen, trying to jot something down before she sees and he forgets. But she was immediately on his back with her elbows in his shoulders, looking over his thickly furred head and making her attempt in sneaking a peak at the journal.

"What's that?"

"Nothing." He closed the book and curled up, tucking the leather in his arms and turning on his back with Nagisa still on top of him.

"It doesn't look like nothing." When she attempted grabbing it, he held it further than she could reach, and when she reached further for it, he realized immediately that her breasts were grazing his nose. Before he could even do anything about it, his grip on the book was loosened and she snatched it from him, quickly flipping through the pages as she jumped off of him.

"Give it back!" His face was flushed as he attempted pouncing on her, only to watch as she quickly got to her feet and paid him no mind. Every time he tried to grab her feet she'd just jump out of place, digging further into the book.

"What _is_ this? A diary? Or a book?" He tacked her down and straddled himself on the smaller girl, taking back the leather book.

"I don't have to tell you!"

"Tell me or I'll tell everyone else about _that_." His dark eyes had almost turned doggish at her words. _That's not even fair!_

"… It's just a journal. I write about the things I find on the mountains."

"There's a _monster_ in the mountains?" _SHE READ THAT._

"I wrote that when I was like 3! It was probably a bear or something!" He knew his face was flushed as he tucked the book in his uniform, watching her breathing as though it were instinct.

"Oh my!" Both 9th graders turned their gaze to the grandmother standing in the doorway with drinks and snacks on a tray, her hand covering her mouth as she stared back at the two. When he realized that he was on top of Nagisa in the most sexual position even he could think of, he fumbled to get off the girl only to land on his butt, tucking his head in his knees in embarrassment


	3. Chapter 3

"Haru, I'm going to the market." _She's doing this on purpose._

"You sure you don't need any help with anything?" Hana climbed into the aged jeep and started up the old engine, declining the help and waving goodbye to the two teenagers. Haruki smiled the whole way she went down the driveway up until the point where he could no longer see her through the thick forest brush. When she was no longer in sight, his attention immediately shifted to the pint-sized annoyance that was now following him everywhere. Not even an hour ago his grandmother had mistaken him for "making a move," so to speak, on what she considered his _girlfriend_. Truth be told, he had only met the girl today and the only impression he got from her was bothersome. But that was the impression he got from every girl, including the two women in his family.

The red head turned tail and walked back into the house. Surprisingly enough there was more than enough light out for a stroll along the mountainside, even with a girl that could only walk on two legs pursuing him. When Nagisa had finally found him again by the backdoor, he was already half naked, fully stripped of his upper half. "What the heck are you doing?!"

His arrogant attitude towards her made it seem like he did this more often than not, even though he had actually been trying to avoid turning into a wolf for the seasons he was left here. "What, this? Just going up to the mountains. You can come, if you can keep up."

"Yeah, but do you have to get naked for something like that?!" The way she was covering her eyes made him realize she was actually a lot meeker than he had first guessed, like the _tsun_ types that seemed to be growing more popular by the generations.

"Have you ever seen a _clothed_ one in textbooks?" By now he was fully undressed, his back towards her and his fur beginning to appear. The dark line that connected his head to his tail was showing on his back and his fur pattern was completely visible now. "You can look now, you know."

When she removed her fingers from her face, she was met with his broad shoulders and extended face, almost gripped with the shock that came from seeing the wolfboy. She had seen him before with a slightly extended nose and the perky dog ears that she met him with. But this time his features were more rugged, more… wolf like. He was a puppy before. But as his transformation completed, she realized he was a fully grown wolf when he got down on all four paws. Not just fully grown, but huge.

Unlike his grandfather's black, silver and white pattern, his was a dark blood red coat with a brown snout and tanned underside. With his father's dark eyes in the mix, it almost made it seem like he was wearing a mask. "You're gonna fall behind if you keep staring at my tail like that." Before she realized it, he was already out back and sprinting towards the steepened paths he always ran over. To him it was a game of Catch Me if You Can. She'd never be able to keep up on this horrid terrain; even he could barely keep his footing when he walked up on two legs.

His ears twitched back and forth as he rested on a small cliff just barely overhanging on a portion of the forest, watching her clumsy movements from above. "You ready to give up and leave yet?"

Her gaze snapped forward, desperately looking for the echoing voice. "Not even! This is the most fun I've had in years!"

Haruki raised an eyebrow. "Aren't you part of the drama club? You should be having load of fun with those other student every day, shouldn't you?"

"It's all mandatory. My dad made me join the club. I don't really care for it, I would much rather be doing this every day after school that be sitting in that stupid cluttered little closet of a classroom with those idiots."

"And here I thought the Little Miss Nagisa was _so_ popular she was just hanging around the stupid cityboy for kicks."

"Crime and punishment."

"…What?"

"It's the relationship I have with my dad. If I don't keep up my grades and status, then I get punished for it. You should be so lucky that you're stupid. No one expects anything of you."

"I'm not **stupid**! I just don't wanna deal with more eyes I'd get if I didn't fake it."

For a while, the whole forest went quiet. His ears twitched back and forth looking for any noise that she would make, only to be met with the occasional chirping bird. He immediately began thinking the worst case scenario, getting up on all fours and poking his nose over the cliff, looking for the foolish girl that decided to follow him up a dangerous mountain and how it would be his fault if she had fallen down.

"Really now?" The noise was so sudden into his left ear that he nearly toppled over the 10+ ft cliff, only to be caught by the paw by her smaller hand. His heart was pounding loudly in his ears while he tried to grab his footing, shifting into his "Halfway" so he could somehow get a better grip on the rocks.

When he finally got back on the cliff, he was heaving on his hand and knees with a paw to his furred chest. "What'd you do that for?!"

"I wouldn't have done it if I'd known you'd jump off!" As serious as she tried to sound, she was actually laughing herself sick, exhausted from trying to pull a boy nearly twice her size up from a broken bone. And as much as he tried to keep a serious and angry face at her, laughter was contagious. He couldn't help but start laughing at the nearly horrifyingly painful experience he could've had. "Alright then. If you're not stupid, beat me on the next finals. If you can get at least one place ahead of me when the time comes, I'll stop following you around. But if you can't, then…" Her eyes almost rolled to the back of her head as she watched a bird fly around the two of them even higher than she hoped she'd be able to climb. "Then you have to do whatever I say for the rest of the year. Deal?" Her hand was extended like what westerners did, hoping to make a promise with him. He sat in front of her as a full wolf and looked skeptically at the hand.

What did he have to lose? If he agreed to it, then she wouldn't be in his shadow anymore. And if he didn't, it was only for the rest of junior high. They probably weren't even going to the same high school anyway. Either way, he was stuck with her for this semester. There really wasn't anything to lose. So he put his paw in her hand and watched as she shook for both of them. "You wanna get going down then? It'll be sunset soon."

"No way I wanna stay here all day." She rolled onto her back and sprawled her arms around the grass and dirtying her uniform further.

"What about your parents? Won't they be mad that you're spending the night at a house they haven't heard of? And even worse, a _guy's_ house?"

"They're too preoccupied with the divorce papers to care what I do after school right now. It looks like dad is gonna gain custody of me, though." His ears fell flat and the mountainside went quiet again. _How are you supposed to carry on a depressing subject like that anyway_? Women really were a mystery to him, to say the least. So instead he curled up beside her and put his face in his paws, leaving his back to her. She immediately began running her fingers through his back. "Your fur's so soft it's like a pillow or something."

He got up from the position almost as soon as she said that, but instead of the expected running away, he turned towards her and put his head on her stomach only to watch her do the same. It was easy enough to see that she was exhausted both physically and mentally considering how fast she fell asleep in the fading light.


	4. Chapter 4

"_WAHOOO-_!"

The water struck him in the face as his nose starred at him in his reflection. Relatively warm winds blew from either side of the mountain, but the water still felt like ice on his snout. It was a miracle she was even able to keep herself afloat, much less swim. _She's crazy!_

The day- Friday. The time- must've been somewhere around 2:30. They were supposed to be in school, somewhere in the middle of their free period. But instead they were here, in a mountainside stream. Nagisa swam around in the gym clothes she always wore under her uniform and Haruki sat on the sidelines, eying the birds mocking him in the trees.

"Are you even planning to get in?" She starred at him on the bank, slowly drifting with the water.

"It's too cold-"

"Not even! Ah, it's been so long since I've been swimming- You're so _lucky_ you live up here!" He put his head back down on his paws. Haru couldn't even fathom why anyone would want to live in this wilderness. The city was way more fun, amusement parks and movie theaters- all that he saw out here was the dirt and trees, and all those stupid birds that always made it a point to squawk at each other as if he couldn't hear them.

Another warm breeze hit him in the back of his head, almost strong enough to fold his ears forwards, and his allergies began acting up again. The smell of flowers were clouding his sense. Flowers and-

_And what? A bear?_

The smell of a wild beast was faintly mixed in with all the plants. His nose twitched at the familiarity and his ears perked. As soon as Haru stood up, Nagisa stopped her swimming and tried her best to stand against the current. When she began wadding her way out of the water, Nagisa got a better look at her peer's face. It looked like he was ready to start sprinting at any moment.

"Haru?" When she placed her palm on his back he nearly jumped out of his fur.

"What?! Geezus you scared m-" That same piercing howling noise cut him off. Immediately his instincts took over, a glossy look came over his eyes and he began running over the terrain, clumbsily stumbling over the roots of the ancient trees. Back at school that howling was so far off in the distance that there was no hope of tracing or tracking it; even Nagisa could reach that conclusion. But this time the voice was so close it was almost like if they went past this next boulder, _just this next rock_, he'd finally be able to see who that dammed howling belonged to.

As much as he'd hate to admit it, he wanted to know who that voice belonged to. Even though he always voiced otherwise, he believed all the stories and fables of his uncle living up here. How badly he wanted to meet him, to see a wolf that was running on instinct to live, to see a beast that could control its ungodly urges to live like an animal. Hana had always described him as a god, a keeper of the mountain. If something was amiss, he'd know. If an animal had birthed, he'd know. And if a human had set foot into an animal's territory, _he'd_ _know_.

His nose was planted firmly to the ground to catch any trace of that scent that didn't yet did belong, the one that belonged to the soul individual on the mountain. Behind him Nagisa refused to miss a beat, jumping over everything she saw his tail disappear behind. Though she couldn't figure out why he was so intent on finding where the noise came from, she followed him down the trails wholeheartedly for the adventure.

When he suddenly stopped in his tracks, Nagisa almost ran into him. His tail was wagging furiously as though he were a dog that had found the perfect present for his master. "I finally found him!"

As soon as he had stopped he immediately changed directions and headed up to the steeper slope of the mountains, following excitedly the fresh scent that he was so proud he found. But the further he climbed the more things he found unusual about the whole situation; for one thing, that voice was never audited so close to him in such a loud volume. For another thing, the more he moved in the direction the beast had moved in, the stronger the scent of other animals became. Not only animals, but humans as well.

At this point he was so sure that he was right on his heel, the more he bounded through the thinning forest the stronger the scent. If he concentrated correctly, he could make out the distinct noises of a chase going on ahead of him. Any minute now he would come across a magnificent beast on the hunt, keeping the natural order. Any second-

Both of them stopped in their tracks. They were both high in the mountain peak, the temperature chilled more than either would like to say. At his paws the ground had been leveled, tents pitched here and there. There was a strong scent of humans and animals mixed in everywhere, pickup trucks parked near the manmade roads leading off the mountains and a fire that had long been snuffed out.

As far as either of them could tell, this place had only recently been abandoned by the people inhabiting the area. Nagisa was the first of the two to take a step forwards and explore the site, poking her head in the tents to see what lie beyond. After about the third tent she finally stopped.

"I think they left for the one you were chasing. Everything was just… dropped. A lot of the food is half eaten and their clothes are everywhere." With the coast being cleared, he wandered in, poking his nose in the places where she didn't. When she let out a gasp, his face was immediately turned in her direction. Unconsciously he shifted halfway, standing up tall to see what she was peering at in the truck's bed. He almost felt his lunch sloshing its way up his throat.

Inside the bed of the truck were skinned animals, their pelts nowhere to be found in the bed. When he double took around the campsite, he could see the furs hanging in the trees near the tents, hanging and clearing of the owner's scent. His ears twitched once more and he dove for the next truck, lifting himself up on the tires to get a better look. Small animals were cramped in each cage; rabbits, a few baby bears, some small carnivores and foxes here and there- all still alive and waiting for their death bed.

There were dead animals over there and one waiting for death over here. Sure, he'd killed small animals before. But it was only when he was up here for more than a day that he'd catch a small rodent for food, such as the ways of nature intended; don't take anything more than what you need. But this was all inhumane. Cruelty with no justification. It was no wonder that animal was howling earlier; if he really was the keeper of this mountain, he must've been grieving the loss of the inhabitants and their untimely deaths.

Nagisa's shriek snapped him from his own trance. "**What are you doing here**?!"


	5. Chapter 5

He sat in the living room, hands on his knees and head hanging down. The three adults in the room looked at both teens in disapproval, leaving a heavy feeling in the air. Finally, the young mother spoke;

"What in the world were you thinking?!"

"Mrs. Fuji, it wasn't-"

"AP- I don't even want to hear what excuses you'd come up with! Mom, what in the world were you thinking, letting them go up there on their own?! How often does he even do this?! And you, young man, does _she_ know?!" The older brunet made a gesture to the dark haired girl sitting next to her son, and as soon as the red head opened her mouth, she cut him off. "Of course she knows! I mean, you dragged her down like that! Look at you both, you're just so lucky to have escaped with your lives-"

Her ramblings went on and on, putting an earful to everyone in the room. When he glanced over at Nagisa, the bandage around her head made his heart sink. What would _her_ father think? He'd feel guilty if she were withdrawn from school all because she got scrapped up back there. They'd have to explain all the bruises to her dad at some point. Maybe they could blame it on the steep mountain slope-

"HARUKI!" His heart nearly stopped. "Are you even listening to me?!"

"You sound like my mother." When she whipped around, her husband was smiling up at her from the floor. And with that small distraction, her rantings continued, directed at him instead of the children.

After she was sure his mother's attention was solely focused on her spouse, Nagisa leaned in closer to Haruki and whispered, "So _they're_ your parents?"

"Mmhm. They've known each other since they were in the 4th grade. See that scar on his left ear?" Her attention was directed to the three claw marks that stuck out red against his skin. "She did that to him when they were little. It's why she doesn't turn into a wolf anymore."

His mother's head snapped back to both of them at the word "wolf," and immediately he pursed his lips and looked down at his knees once more. It hurt to sit up like this, considering he was struck in the back, but he felt that if he let himself slouch any more than this, Mom would bite his head off.

* * *

Haru ducked into one of the tents, immediately feeling guilty for leaving his friend to the hands of the unknown. But it'd make no sense to approach them in his "Halfway," as a full blown wolf, or as a naked teenager. And to his fortune, there was an oversized winter jacket and sweatpants (along with various other items) scattered along the floor.

As soon as he popped his head out of the tent, Nagisa being held up by her collar by a man nearly twice her size came into view. "How did you find this place?! Are there-"

"We got lost!" The older man immediately shifted his attention to the red haired boy just a bit taller than he. "I'm sorry, we'll leave right away- we saw the smoke and thought that… there was a cabin or something up here that could point us down! Any chance you can show us?" His grip on Nagisa loosened a bit as his faced turned into a scowl. The older man pushed her into him and motioned them to follow them with his hand.

The two teens both apprehensively followed him, unsure at all that he believed the obvious (to them) lie that was just told. Plus Haru was walking around barefoot- was there really a good explanation for that?

The young boy paid close attention to where the man was taking them; all in all, it checked out. For the most part it seemed he was taking them down a more worn trail that hikers and nature preservers used. And as soon as the trail came into view, the stress immediately left his heart. "Just keep going down this trail and you'll reach the small town at the foot of the mountain."

"Thank you so much!" Haru took the lead, pulling her hand to follow him the rest of the way down. For the most part, it seemed as though they were home free, and he didn't question the luck that he had today-

A loud thudding sound came from behind him and Nagisa fell limp almost face first into the ground, hadn't Haru been there to catch her. When he looked up, the man was holding a thick and heavy looking tree branch, the full intent to kill in his eyes. "You kids make it seem like I'm just that stupid- did you really think I wouldn't have noticed that she saw our merchandise?"

The older man raised the branch up into the air once more, two horrible options being forced upon the teen; either dodge the attack and watch as it comes down on the only peer he could stand talking to, or endure the attack and protect her. One way or the other someone was going to get hurt.

In the end he crouched over her unconscious body, leaving his back exposed to attack. It wasn't just the one hit, like he did her. The man had unleashed a flurry of swings on the boy in an attempt to break his back, practically trying to crack him open like an egg. And after the 5th or 6th swing, the pain was more numbing than anything else. Haru could feel his own conscience fading as he fought to keep awake, hiding his head under his arms.

* * *

That was where the rest of it got hazy for him. There really was nothing left for him to remember. Other than the faint and very cloudy image of him collapsing on Hana's porch with Nagisa on his very sore back, Hana had filled them in on the rest. Right before he had fallen asleep he could distinctly make out the sound of Hana on the phone with Mom, and when he woke up, both his parents were in the living room.

A million thoughts swirled in his head at once. How did they make it out? Did he transform at all? If he did, how far? Did he kill the man that was trying to kill him? _I mean, there's blood under my nails!_ But then again it could've been Nagisa's. She was wearing a bandage on her head.

_Mom's still in the living room arguing with Grandma… Nagisa's in the room sleeping… God, the bathwater stiiiings…_

The water overflew from the tub as he tried to relax, thinking hard and trying to remember what had happened this afternoon. School tomorrow was definitely going to be brutal; would Nagisa even be able to come?

He let out a loud sigh, wondering what tomorrow would bring and how he would cope if he really did end up killing someone. Is this what mom felt when she struck dad? Was she even conscious of it?

A howl in the distance pierced his heart. His attention was completely aimed at the only window in the bathroom, anger welling up in his chest. _It's your fault she got hurt today! _He knew that wasn't right; it was his own fault for following his urges and dragging her into this. But it made him feel better to blame something that didn't matter.

Other than his mother's yelling, the room was virtually quiet. All three futons had been laid out for the night, Nagisa fast asleep. For once he was so happy to see these cushions rather than his own bed.

* * *

***Author's Note**

KUAKUSHD

you people are so kind D':

/I'm still new to the site so i am still having a hard time expressing how greatful I am to you

DON'T THINK I DON'T CARE

I LOVE YOU


	6. Chapter 6

The bus ride to school seemed just that much longer than it normally was. In the end Hana had convinced Yuki to go back to the city and think about it, especially since Yuki had been set on bringing back her son with her. But with a little help from Souhei, they left. Nagisa was with Hana at the house still sleeping, and even though both women thought that Haru had gotten the worst of it, he had insisted on going. If he had ignored any more of the algebra going on at the board, he'd definitely fall behind. At least after this he would legitimately have the next day off.

"Nagisa, would you like to make a drop by your house?"

Hana's innocent smile seemed to dumbfound the young girl as she sipped the herbal tea. "W-why?" A loud buzzing had gone off on the shelf that arranged the driver's silence and dolls, and Hana's smile turned from innocent to sheepish.

"I hope you can forgive me, but while you were asleep I had turned your phone on. Other than a bit of mail, most of the messages on your phone are missed calls. And they're almost all from your father." Her face turned pale. The thought of her father being mad at her in this crisis of his relationship made her shudder, the punishment most likely being harsh. She'd been away from home for a full two days now, without ever having told either parent where she was or what she was doing. And now that she was bruised up a bit, what would they think?

She swallowed hard. There really was no room for argument, and the only thing she could do was nod. Hana patted her shoulder and got up, moving to another room only to return moments later with her uniform folded and cleaned. Earlier in the morning both women had taken a hike up the mountain to retrieve the clothes left by the stream, and while Nagisa relaxed, the older woman had prepared them for the girl. And as soon as she got dressed, Hana gestured the young girl outside and into the faded red jeep that was waiting for them.

The bandage was removed in the car and the ride was mostly silent, the only exception being the directions given by Nagisa. Slowly the mountains turned to farmland and eventually even that turned into plains, until the roads started building up. After the 2hrs until they were finally about to reach the city limits, Hana had broken the silence. "You were awake when he brought you back weren't you."

The dark haired girl looked up at the older woman and pursed her lips, silently nodding. "Yeah."

"Can you tell me any details about what happened?"

"Well… I didn't wake up until after Haru transformed… And even then I couldn't see it clearly, but it seemed like more of them had come…"

"Them?"

"There were… or are, I don't know if they're up there anymore, hunters or poachers, I don't know what they were. But this place is reserved, isn't it? It's illegal to hunt here, right…?" Hana looked at the girl with a concerned look.

"It is. There are people that study this mountain to preserve it. To think that there are people up here doing things like that… either way, can you please go on?"

"Huh? Oh, right… Haru was stronger than them. I don't think he knew what he was doing, though… he was a werewolf, but he was acting like a wild animal trapped in a corner. Even though there were like, 2 or 3 guys, he could easily fend them off. Has something like this ever happened with your children?"

"It had, once when Yuki was 10. The two of them had started a fight and Ame-"

"Two? So you did have another child?"

"Oh, yes. Though Haru doesn't seem to believe it, but I can't blame him. Ame and Yuki had started a fight, and Ame had the full intention to kill. Though I don't think he was conscious of it at the time; I still can't ever imagine him wanting to harm his older sister. Which way?"

"Take a right at the upcoming street… So this happens a lot with wolves?"

"Actually, I'm not quite sure about that myself." The older woman let out a light chuckle. "So can you continue that story of yours?"

"Oh- where was i?"

"Something about how strong Haru was."

"Right. He managed to keep off the other guys even though his back was bleeding and as soon as he knocked all three of them off his feet at once, he grabbed me by the wrist and before I knew it I was clinging to him for dear life- it's amazing how fast you can run when adrenaline is pumping through your veins! Especially on such uneven ground! And then the rest you know… Haru didn't kill any of them, but I think he beat one of them up pretty good… Oh, take a left up here and it's the third house on the left."

"Alright." The jeep slowed to a stop in front of a small two story house at the edge of the city limits. Nagisa's face didn't gain much more color when Hana decided to step outside of the car as well. "So what does your father do for a living?"

"He's an office worker in the center of the city… he has to commute back and forth like I do. The next school over is just about the same distance as the once back over there." When the doorbell rang, Nagisa's heart skipped a beat and her face seemed to sink deeper into her collar. As the door opened, an older man came into view, fresh creases on his face from the emotions that he had been suffering through these past few days.

As soon as his eyes met with his daughter's, Nagisa flinched and prepared for the upcoming words of criticism, like what Yuki has done to her son. She was just so lucky there were no visible bruises; had that been the case, who knows what would've happened.

But instead the man crouched down to his daughter and swept her off her feet, pulling her into a tight hug that he couldn't tell was hurting her more than she was letting on. "Where in the world were you?! Why didn't you respond to anything?! Do you even know understand how worried I was?!" As soon as he let go of her, she went straight back to him and returned the hug. All the while Hana seemed to be enjoying the moment.

The older woman had been invited inside the small, mostly empty home and explained herself and the situation. She ended up leaving out a few key details and lied a bit, but in the end her story had been wrapped around the common factor of her "grandson and this lovely young woman exploring the mountain" with her and his parents, along with a few others as a class project and how she had fully welcomed the girl into her home with open arms. She also made an excuse as to why the calls hadn't been answered (not much signal up in the mountains,) and that Nagisa was more than welcome to stay over again should he allow it and should he need it.

Both parents seemed to get along well, and with the few hours that Hana had been there she seemed to easily win him over. When she got home after another two hours, Haru was already home and rummaging through the fridge for something to snack on. She immediately greeted the boy with a smile. "So how was school today?"

"Hm? Oh, nothing much. Teacher said we were getting a new student on Monday, and everyone expected an answer from me when Nagisa wasn't here, but that's about it. By the way, where is she?"

"I sent her back with her father. She should be back on Monday."

"That's good to hear. Anything new happen today?"

"Not much."


	7. Chapter 7

Everyone in homeroom seemed to be buzzing about, whispers going on here and there about the new student that was coming. Haru sat at the center of the classroom and wondered if this is how it was when he had transferred here last year, especially since it was so rare for a school in the country to get a transfer student. And since Nagisa didn't share the same homeroom he did, it just made him feel all the more isolated.

"Alright everyone, quiet down. As I said Friday, we are receiving a new classmate today. Would you like to come in?" As soon as the teacher's head shifted towards the door, the majority of the rest of the student's attention was aimed there as well. When the door slid open, even Haru couldn't help but stare.

He was dressed in a dark hoodie that matched the school's colors and strode in, large headphones dangling on his neck like a collar and lips crooked into a smile that seemed just a bit too natural and happy for someone moving into such a small and uneventful school. But that wasn't what caught Haru's attention. What made all of them stare more than anything was the bright golden fleece atop his head and the sky blue eyes that stood out all the more with the mole under his left eye. It was all too obvious that he was some kind of Westerner.

"Come now, introduce yourself."

"I'm Sonne Nuit. Nice to meet 'ya." Even his accent was thick.

"Your _last_ name comes _first_ here, Nuit."

"Really?"

"Yes. Now let's see, you can have the seat-"

"I want that one, by the tall guy in the middle." Everyone followed the Blondie's finger to Haru, the empty seat just begging for attention.

"I'm sorry, but that seat is already taken by an absent student-"

"Can't I sit in it just for today?"

"Well I suppose that's fine-"

"Great!" Sonne happily strode towards the empty desk at Haru's right and stood over the slouching boy with a bright smile on his face. _Such a shorty…_ was the only impression that the red head seemed to get from him.

For the majority of the class period everyone seemed to flock towards the blue eyed boy, asking him more than enough questions to fill his attention-wanting nature. But every now and then Sonne's eyes seemed to drift towards Haruki, though he never seemed to catch him. And come lunch time Sonne had begun following around Haru like a puppy until even Haru managed to snap.

"I only need **one** shadow, you know!"

Sonne just seemed happy that Haru was the one who started talking. "Yeah, me too."

"Stop following me!"

"I thought you could show me around."

"I've only been here a year. If you want someone to do it you should get someone from the student council or the class rep to help you out." Haru turned tail and strode to the outdoor courtyard where the trees grew, still painfully aware of boy nearly a foot shorter than he, was still following him wholeheartedly. When he pushed open the doors, his attention was immediately caught by the dark haired familiar figure standing near his favorite spot as though she were waiting for him.

And as soon as she spotted him, she gestured him over. It wasn't until he reached her that she realized the blonde following him. "Who's your friend?"

"He's not-"

"My name's Sonne! Nice to meet you!"

Nagisa stared at the extended hand and then back at the boy. "_Sanniii?"_

"Not as much emphasis on the '_So'_ part, but yeah!" Instead of waiting for her hand he took it and begun shaking vigorously. She seemed more dumbfound than anything at the foreigner.

"Where are you from?"

"Canada."

"What's your original language?"

"French."

"Why did you transfer to this small town school?"

"To meet people like him!" Sonne gripped Haru's shoulders and smiled huge.

"Like him? What do you mean?"

"_Se-cret_!" Both of them looked at him with one eyebrow raised, watching as his attention immediately shifted from them to the ground at the sound of a slight _meow_. "_Pepper_!" He immediately knelt down and picked up the grey tabby waiting for him on the ground. After Sonne picked her up, he spun around to introduce the small mammal to his classmate and the stranger as both of them seemed to question him just that much further.

"I found her by the front of the school and she just came up to me, so I gave her a name." As soon as the feline saw Haru she hissed and ducked behind the blonde's shoulders. "Ow-ow-ow, stop scratching me like that! Sheesh, you're bad with animals, aren't you?" Sonne's bright blue eye's met with Haru's dark ones and the taller boy seemed to shrink back a bit.

"So you came to tell me something?"

Just as Nagisa was about to open her mouth, Sonne cut in. "You can't hide anything from animals- they take it as a threat." He shoved the cat in Haru's face and watched as he flinched at her hissing. "She can see right through you, you know. Unless you show them what you are and that you mean no threat, they won't ever believe you-"

"SHUT UP WILL YOU?! I don't need to go making friends with every stray cat I see!" At Haru's shouting, _Pepper_ began swiping her paws across his face. "GAH-!" It wasn't until Sonne's intervention that she couldn't continue.

Haru angrily turned towards Nagisa and took a seat by the tree, wondering how effective it would be if he made a run for it now. Nagisa sat down with him and handed him her handkerchief and smiled. "You're grandma is really charismatic, you know? Not to mention a really great liar. Dad seems to be more at ease that there's a place I can stay now if I ever need to, too."

"_I_ never said anything about that-"

"Can I come-"

"Absolutely not!" Haru seemed appalled that Sonne would even suggest such a thing.

"W-well anyway, Hana ended up ratting me out. When you carried me back, she knew I was awake. How often are you not conscious of _it_? Because you beat up that one guy pretty bad-"

"So he lived?"

"Yeah, as far as I could tell. But I have no idea if they're still up there or not-"

"Up where? The mountains?" Nagisa could hear the growl emitting from Haru.

* * *

Haru angrily strode on the path home, Nagisa quickly following behind him. It wasn't until about 5 minutes of silence that he finally blew a fuse, shapeshifting into the full wolf that had climbed the mountains with her last week and shaking off his uniform, only to turn tail back down the path he came and duck into the bushes, leaving Nagisa in a state of confusion.

When she finally found him a few yards behind her, she didn't seem as shocked as one would enjoy her to be. At her feet Haru had another canine pinned down, growling at the Golden-Retriever-looking thing. And when the blonde dog met eyes with Nagisa, it seemed as though he were ready to turn tail and run. But Haru wouldn't let him.

"Why do you two have the insatiable _urge_ to follow me wherever?!"

"Sonne, you can change back now you know…"

"How'd _you_ know?!"

"'Cause you make it _waaaayy_ too obvious with your damn hints, dumbass! That and no _decent_ wolf goes around with a jacket tied to his neck! And since when in the hell is there such thing as a _golden_ wolf?!" By now Sonne was sitting cross-legged, pretending to repent for all the obvious mistakes he had made.

"'Scuse my dad for being _blonde_ then…Sheesh you're a real downer, you know that?"

"I don't need someone like you telling me that-"

"So how'd you know that Haru was a wolf too?"

"His smell. You smell a lot like my mom in the sense of natural alpha. Plus a hint of the forest, and if any of the other kids smell like the outside more than the city, they smell like farm animals and earth that's been soaked. I thought he'd be able to smell that on me, too, especially since I was born _and_ raised in the mountains. So where are the others?"

"Why am I the one being ignored-"

"Others?" Nagisa crooked her head.

"The entire pack, the rest of the wolves-"

"There are none. No one but me and my mom are left- our lineage is barely hanging on by a thread over here. There are _no_ wolves left in Japan."

"_Really?! _So you're the _last_ wolf child here? Sheesh, even China, heck, **Korea** has at least 3 different families! Back where I'm from we have a whole community of wolves. I mean I heard that there was only 2 wolves here, but I didn't think it was true- and I heard that they were only a year apart. Man and here I thought I'd be able to find a cute black wolf…"

"**Die**."

* * *

"My my, it seems like this is the year for you, isn't it." Hana seemed to be trying to hold back a bit of laughter as her grandson came home with a "sour" look, to say the least. "You just seem to be getting more popular by the days, don't you~"

Had she not been his grandmother and they'd been peers, Haru would've been snapping. Instead he just held his tongue in an attempt to keep from blowing a fuse. "please don't joke about this, grandma."

"She's your _grandma_? She looks so young~" At this point Hana couldn't hold it in much longer at the boy that was practically sucking up to her for imposing. "I'm Sonne. And you are…?"

"Hana. It's a pleasure to meet you~"


End file.
